Durian is largely unknown in the western world. Even if you’ve heard of it the common reaction is ‘Oh, they have this fruit that stinks? Interesting…’ and then forget all about it. People certainly aren’t eating durian in the US even in cities with a thriving food culture and a large Asian community.
So if you’re headed to Hong Kong or Singapore soon you might be curious about eating durian for the first time. But it isn’t quite as easy as sipping on a raw coconut. Here’s what you need to consider before trying this exotic fruit for the first time.
Finding a Place for Eating Durian
Durian is not hard to find. Once you start to recognize it you begin seeing it everywhere. It’s available in grocery stores and at fruit sellers throughout Southeast Asia. In places that are popular with tourists like Bangkok or Pattaya it’s common to find it available on the streets.
Buying on the street is the best option for most tourists. Locals say cutting open a whole durian is not difficult, but it certainly doesn’t look easy. There’s a good chance you could botch it and end up with it in your clothes and smelling like durian all day. A seller at a street cart can open a durian for you.
Buying a whole one isn’t a great idea if you’re eating durian for the first time.
You can’t take durian back to your hotel. It’s safe to say all vacation rentals and hostels prohibit it as well. You probably could sneak it to your room easily but it’s not as if it’s a plum. You can’t swallow it all. To avoid a fine and for your own sake you need to take the shell and seed pods back out of your room immediately. It would be a mistake to leave them in your room’s trash can for hours. It’s best to find a park or a beach with plenty of trash cans around.
Selecting Your First Durian
There are many varieties of durians throughout Asia. I asked a lot of locals in various countries for advice about picking out durians and what to look for in the sections. I didn’t get even one single piece of usable advice. But locals are very interested and amused if you tell them you want to try eating durian. Some may even invite you out for a snack on the spot. It’s almost as if they think you’re about to make a terrible mistake and they want to be in on the joke.
Many street vendors offer whole durians as well as sections that are cut and wrapped in cellophane. The sections are what you want to try first before you know whether you’ll enjoy them. Let’s say you have many vendors to choose from in Thailand:
In a place where most things are cheap, durians are not exactly inexpensive. The sections range from around 150 baht to over 1000. Size and weight are a factor but there’s more to pricing than just that. I’m not sure what makes one durian more expensive than another. To be honest if it were explained to me I’m still not sure I could tell the difference. My advice is to treat it like a fancy wine list and get the second cheapest one.
Eating Durian for the First Time
Perhaps there was no more adventurous eater than Anthony Bourdain. In the episode above Bourdain eats durian in Phnom Penh at the two minute mark. He liked it more than I did. In another episode of this series he mentions trying durian previously. The chef described them as being similar to leaving cheese and a dead body out in the sun. “One internal belch and you’re pretty much destroying the lives of innocent citizens around you.”
Anthony Bourdain also described eating durian ice cream as having a flavor like smoky camembert avocado. Who knows? If you find the ice cream in your travels maybe that’s worth trying too. There aren’t a lot of ways to enjoy durians except eating them raw.
I didn’t think the smell was particularly bad. There were several times I was right next to groups of people eating durian and didn’t smell it at all. When I finally bought my own it smelled kind of funky and a bit rotten but the aroma was weak. The taste was something like a mealy pear mixed with browning avocado and a hint of banana. The fruit had a pasty consistency and wasn’t juicy at all. I took a few bites but ultimately abandoned it. I didn’t find it interesting or challenging. It just wasn’t very good.
One Good Reason to Avoid Eating Durian
I had no idea at the time but apparently eating durian and alcohol don’t mix.
Google says it can kill you but I suspect that’s more urban legend than fact. According to Mashable Southeast Asia it affects the body in ways that make alcohol consumption difficult to process and can cause extreme hangovers and other deleterious effects.
I didn’t notice this after just a few bites. But again, I didn’t care for the fruit. It might be an acquired taste but the next time I have a chance to try it I’ll be sticking with whiskey instead.
